Paint roller device having a pivotally adjustable handle



P 20, 1966 MAZZELLA 3,273,192

PAINT ROLLER DEVICE HAVING A PIVOTALLY ADJUSTABLE HANDLE Filed April 26, 1965 INVENTOR. 0075 .MZZZELLA United States Patent 3,273,192 PAINT ROLLER DEVICE HAVING A PIVOTALLY ADJUSTABLE HANDLE Louis Mazzella, 2888 Morris Park Ave., Bronx, N.Y. Filed Apr. 26, 1965, Ser. No. 450,684 1 Claim. (Cl. 15-23011) This invention relates to paint rollers.

Paint rollers as customarily made, comprise a one-piece rod having a shaft portion on which the paint roller is rotatably mounted, and at one end of the shaft portion, there is an integral bent side portion which is comparatively short, which has at its other end an integral bent frame portion parallel to the rod portion, and extending to substantially the center thereof, and lastly a right angularly bent shank portion having a handle that is normal to the axis of the paint roller. Inasmuch as all of the integral rod portions are in fixed relation to each other, great difiiculty is often experienced in operating the paint roller in locations where the hand holding the roller cannot position the same properly against the surface to be painted.

It is accordingly the principal object of this invention to provide an adjustable connection between the handle of a paint roller and the shank portion that will permit positioning of the axis of the paint roller in desired angular relationship to the handle.

Another object of this invention is to provide a mating serrated disc connection between the handle and shank portion that is held in locked position by a screw fitted with a wing nut.

A further object of this invention relates to providing a two section interconnected handle which is adapted to be separated to permit holding the handle when painting surfaces that are easily within reach of the person performing the painting and when connected together will permit the painting of surfaces beyond the normal reach of the person, whether or not it is necessary or desired to alter the angular relationship of the roller with relation to the handle.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, my invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that change may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described Within the scope of the appended claim.

FIGURE 1 is a side view of the paint roller with connected adjustable handle.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged detail view partly in crosssection of the paint roller and adjustable handle connection.

FIGURE 3 is a front view of the adjustable connection.

FIGURE 4 is a side view of the adjustable connection.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, it will be seen that the paint roller comprises a sponge-like cylindrical paint carrying roller cover of rubber or plastic, that is rotatably supported and retained in any suitable manner on an axle cage structure 12. The axle cage is made up of longitudinal rods 13, each radially spaced equally from the axis thereof, with the ends of the rods secured in collars 13a, 13b. Collars 13a, 1317 are rotatably supported on the rod portion 20.

A bent rod is shaped to provide a shank 14, a frame portion 16 extending at right angles from one end of the shank, and a carrier portion 18 extending at right angles from the end of the frame portion 16 in a direction opposite and parallel to the shank 14. The free end portion 26 of the carrier portion 18 is bent normal thereto and parallel to frame portion 16, and rotatably supported therein is the axle cage 12. It is to be noted that the length of the frame portion 16 is such that the shank 14 is located substantially centrally of the roller cover 10.

The lower free end of the shank 14 is formed to provide a disc 24, on one face of which is provided a circular row of radial serrations 26. Projecting from the serrated face of the disc 24 is a threaded stud 28 disposed at the center of the disc as shown in FIGURE 3. A corresponding disc 30 provided with a like row of radial serrations 32 is formed on the end of a rod 34, there being a central opening 36 provided in the disc 30 to receive the stud 28. With the two discs 24, 30 disposed in mating engagement (the serrations 26, 32 interengaging), the same are held locked together by the wing nut 38 on the stud 28. It is to be noted that the discs 24, 30 lie in the same plane as the roller cover 10.

Secured to the other end of rod 34 is a handle 40. Both the rod 34 and the handle 40 are proportioned to provide a length suitable for normal use.

To permit use of the paint roller on surfaces beyond the reach of a person, and where it is not convenient to use a ladder, there is provided a handle extension 42 of any desired length, having at one end a threaded extension 44 arranged to threadedly engage a threaded opening in the handle 40. If desired, the extension 44 may be formed plain and arranged to have a press fit within a corresponding plain opening in the handle.

To further permit use of the paint roller in locations where it is desirable to have the handle angularly related to the shank 14, this is accomplished by loosening the wing nut 38 and turning the serrated discs 24 or 30 into the desired position, where-upon the wing nut 38 is then tightened on stud 28 to lock the discs together into the selected angular relationship.

While certain novel features of my invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

A paint roller device comprising:

(a) a paint roller cover having an axial bore;

(b) a one-piece support structure for said roller cover formed of a rod shaped to provide a shaft section, a carrier portion connected at one end to one end of said shaft section and at right angles thereto, an arm portion parallel to said shaft section connected at one end to the other end of said carrier portion and a shank portion connected at one end to the other end of said arm portion and at right angles thereto, said support structure lying in a plane,

(c) said shank portion being disposed substantially at the center of said roller cover and normal thereto,

(d) spaced collars rotatable on said shaft section, each positioned at an end thereof corresponding to the ends of said roller cover,

(e) circumferentially spaced rods equally radially spaced from said shaft sections, having their ends respectively fixedly secured to said spaced collars, whereby to provide a rotating axial cage on said shaft section,

(f) said axial cage fitting within the axial bore of said roller cover in fixed relation thereto to provide for rotation of said roller cover on said shaft section,

(g) a handle including a rod extension at one end thereof,

(h) a pair of discs fixedly secured respectively to the free end of said rod extension and to the free end of said shank portion and lying in planes parallel to the plane of the support structure,

(i) a central opening in one disc and a threaded stud projecting from the center of the other disc through said central opening,

(j) radial ribs and grooves on the opposed faces of said discs for interlocking adjustable engagement therebetween,

(k) a Winged nut on said stud for clamping said discs together in selected an-gularly related positions,

(1) there being a threaded axial bore in the other end of said handle, and

(m) a handle extension having a threaded projection engageable in the threaded bore of said handle.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Hayden 306-16 Lay 306-17 Messmer 29-116 Zellinger 15-230.11 X Bedford 15-230.11

Huhtala 15-23O.11 Pittman 15-230.11

Ecker 15-230.11

Leland 15-562 Wiegand 15230.11 X

DANIEL BLUM, Primary Examiner. 

